Is identity change more likely in conflict-ridden or in peaceful societies? It is often argued that protracted conflict polarises populations and drives individuals to reaffirm their identity, legitimate themselves and demonise the other . Yet protracted conflict can also prompt considerably more reflection on traditional identities than exists in stable environments where identity is ‘banal’. This paper argues that there are conflicting tendencies in conflict and peace processes: and change in the sense of individual identity transformation is more common in conflict than often supposed, its social impact is limited. It shows this through research in a ‘natural experimental arena’, comparing how identities change in conflict-ridden Northern Ireland and in the culturally comparable but long-peaceful Republic of Ireland.
